Bangladesh suspend head coach Chandika Hathurusingha for assaulting a player

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusingha on disciplinary grounds, following allegations of assaulting a player. Hathurusingha, who has faced two counts of misconduct, has been suspended for 48 hours and is set to be terminated immediately after that period. The BCB has also served him with a show-cause notice. Former West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons will take over as interim head coach, with his contract set to run until the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"Hathurusingha has two counts of misconduct," BCB president Faruque Ahmed confirmed. "The first is an assault on a player, and the second is that he took more leaves than allowed in his contract."

Hathurusingha, who



returned for his second stint as Bangladesh coach in February last year, has had a tumultuous time with the team. Under his leadership, Bangladesh had underwhelming performances, including disappointing showings in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. His most notable success came from a 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan, marking Bangladesh's maiden Test series victory in Pakistan and their first overseas Test series win in 15 years.

However, Bangladesh's form faltered shortly after, especially on the tour of India, where they were handed a 2-0 loss in Tests and a 3-0 whitewash in the T20Is, with a record defeat in the third match. These failures and the recent misconduct allegations have hastened Hathurusingha's departure.